John Setka was born on September 1964 and is a former Australian trade unionist.
30 Facts About John Setka
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John Setka is a controversial figure in the Australian trade union movement.
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John Setka is known for his strong support at a grassroots level, especially among the rank and file of the CFMEU.
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John Setka has faced strong criticism for alleged public remarks on the topic of domestic violence, and a guilty plea for harassing his ex-wife via text, issues that contributed to his formal expulsion from the Australian Labor Party in 2019.
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John Setka's father was a labourer named Bob Setka, who survived the West Gate Bridge collapse in 1970, one of the worst industrial accidents in Victoria's history.
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John Setka began working as a labourer at the age of 19.
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John Setka began involvement with trade unionism first after joining the Builders Labourers Federation.
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John Setka claimed that Abbott defamed him by suggesting that he was involved in intimidation, extortion and was a self-confessed thug.
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In 2015, John Setka encouraged workers within the Rail, Tram and Bus Union to strike during the Australian Football League finals to "use finals fever to their advantage in their bitter industrial fight with Metro Trains and Yarra Trams".
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John Setka openly criticised the former prime minister Kevin Rudd in 2018.
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John Setka is known for his public condemnation of the ABCC and its staff.
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John Setka has in the past had strong support from Luke Hilakari, among other prominent leaders in the trade union movement.
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John Setka said in February 2024 that he will not stand as Victorian-Tasmanian Secretary of the CFMEU for another year, beyond 2024.
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On 12 July 2024, John Setka announced his resignation from CFMEU.
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In 2015, John Setka was arrested and forced to appear in court to face blackmail charges.
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John Setka spoke outside of court saying that he had been the victim of a witch hunt.
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John Setka later sued a group of executives from the company Boral, successfully obtaining a settlement after alleging they conspired in the tort of malicious prosecution.
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In June 2019, John Setka attended a meeting of his union's national executive.
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John Setka publicly objected to this attempt at expulsion, and claimed that there was "dirty politics at work".
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John Setka made an implicit claim that he was the victim of a witch hunt, driven by his "view of where the union should be in regards to the ALP, and some people probably don't share that view".
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Additional pressure upon John Setka arose after the Senate crossbencher Jacqui Lambie threatened political blackmail, making a demand that he step down or she would vote for a bill strongly opposed by the union movement.
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John Setka argued at court that the ALP national executive did not have the legal power to expel him, and that it was instead a matter for the Victorian State party branch.
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John Setka is married, but separated, to Emma Walters, a former industrial lawyer at Slater and Gordon.
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In January 2019, it was reported in the Herald Sun that John Setka was charged after an argument with his wife on boxing day.
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In June 2019, John Setka pleaded guilty to magistrates court charges that he had used a carriage service to harass a person.
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John Setka was ordered to complete a men's behavioral program, and a 12 month good behavior bond was imposed.
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John Setka was pictured holding his hand in support during the court process.
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John Setka hit my head against the table about five times.
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In October 2022, The Age reported that John Setka had been accused of using Richmond footballer Dustin Martin to pressure his estranged wife.
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John Setka expressed concern about Setka's control of the Adelaide branch of the CFMEU, claiming it would mean that he would spend more time in that city, and stated that she was seeking a no-contact order between Setka and her children.